Smallholder farmer’s adoption intensity of genetically modified maize varieties in Thulamela municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa

Abstract

The issues embedded in the controversy surrounding genetically modified crops are varied and complex. Despite the benefits that come with cultivating these crops, adoption has been slow, especially by smallholder farmers. Primary objective of the paper was to analyze factors influencing adoption intensity of GM maize varieties in Thulamela municipality. Multistage random sampling procedure was used for data collection. Data were collected from farmers using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, tobit and probit regression models were used for data analysis. Results show that most (56.5%) of farmers were female, while the average age was 60.5 years. About 30.6% of the farmers had no formal education, average farming experience was 29.9 years. The most perceived costs (96.5% and 65.9%) were that GM are too expensive and are unavailable in the market respectively, while the most perceived benefits (94.1% and 75.3%) were that GM grow faster and increase production yield. Tobit regression revealed that farmer's perception that GM maize is pest resistant, affordable and highly preferred and TV as a primary media were positively significant in influencing adoption intensity of GM maize, while farming experience was negatively significant (p < 0.05). Probit regression results revealed that marital status, income from farming, purpose of farming, sources of finance to produce and farm size were statistically significant (p < 0.05) in influencing farmers' decision to adopt improved maize varieties. It was concluded that proper education for farmers on the attributes of GM crops would enhance their acceptability.